Cliq Awards to support autism

Organisers of the maiden Cliq Awards, a ceremony that rewards photography and videography, has announced a decision to use proceeds from its maiden event to support autism in the country.

According to Benedicta Gyamfi, a member of the organising team, the initiative was conceived with the intent of drawing attention to autism and educating the public about the disorder.

“Other ailments get a lot of attention and public education but unfortunately, autism has been ignored and that is quite worrying. ‘We believe that a step like this will help the Autism foundation with the needed resources to carry out their duties,” Ms Gyamfi told said.

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, refers to a range of conditions characterised by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviours, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as by unique strengths and differences. There are many types, caused by different combinations of genetic and environmental influences.

Earlier in March, the organisers of Cliq Awards called for entries from professionals in the field of photography and videography. Scheduled for a later date which is yet to be announced, Ms Gyamfi believes the scheme will help to promote the works of photographers and videographers, photojournalists, agency workers in advertising and commercial image delivery.

“The team is working towards the official launch next month hopefully to reveal the date for the main awards,” she said. In all, there will be 12 categories to be awarded in the photography session as well as 10 for videography.